Ever Ever After
by vinkunwildflowerqueen
Summary: Elphaba Thropp never believed she would have her own happily ever after. Until Fiyero. Musicalverse, set after Finale. Please read authors note at beginning!Read and review! Read the sequels "Moments of Ever After" and "In the After"
1. Chapter 1

**Ever Ever After: A WICKED fan fiction**

**By phoenixgirl23**

**AN. Well, this is my very first WICKED fan fiction. Let me first start by saying, I love, love, LOVE WICKED. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I wish there were words to describe its awesomeness. Suffice it to say, it's magic. I haven't stopped playing the OBC soundtrack since at least April, and don't expect to stop playing it in the near future. **

**I admit, I was slightly apprehensive before I saw the show the first time- how would the Australian cast live up the Broadway soundtrack? I mean, the amazing Idina Menzel is a lot to live up to. But, OMG the Australian cast is **_**amazing. **_**Jemma Rix and Lucy Durack, who play Elphaba and Glinda respectively are incredible; and I saw the show twice, once with Rob Mills as Fiyero, and once with Tim Campbell. They were both great, but Tim Campbell is now forever Fiyero in my head. I actually cried when the show left Sydney on September 26, and am currently saving to go see it in Brisbane in January! That makes me a little nervous, because I've never been on a plane or out of the state before, but WICKED and **_**Harry Potter **_**are the things I would make the trip for- besides family reasons. But I need to see it again, and unfortunately- there's no DVD ****. **

**So, this is a musical verse story, the only things I've taken from the book (which I have read) is Elphaba and Fiyero's nicknames "Fae" and "Yero", because they are perfect. I apologise if the characters are a little off, it's surprisingly hard to write stories when you can't re-read/watch them for reference. I also know spells from the Grimmerie are supposed to be irreversible, but I don't care, I really wanted Fiyero to be human again. **

**DISCLAIMER: Trust me, if I owned WICKED we wouldn't be waiting around for a movie- there would **_**be **_**a movie.**

Chapter 1

Elphaba Thropp had never believed in the concept of 'happily ever after'; much less conceived or entertained the possibility she was entitled to or would have her own. But all that was before Fiyero.

One part of the old fairytale ending had always confused Elphaba: what exactly consisted of a happily ever after? Was it enough just to be happy?

It had been a year since Elphaba and Fiyero had fled Oz, leaving everyone… leaving Glinda, to believe that the Wicked Witch of the West was dead. After leaving the castle at Kiamo Ko, the couple had travelled discreetly- or as much as it was possible for a green-skinned woman and a talking scarecrow to be discreet- through the forest until they left the borders of Oz and reached the kingdom of Quox.

There, they set up home in a small cottage on the outskirts of a small village, which gave them the anonymity and privacy they craved. And they were happy… for the most part. Being hopelessly in love, alive and together after so long didn't stop them from arguing on occasion- they were both strong-willed and stubborn, but these never lasted long.

Most of their arguments were fuelled by Elphaba's guilt over Fiyero's… condition, and his complete acceptance of his new body and lifestyle. Being a scarecrow wasn't perfectly ideal admittedly; being much more flammable than previously posed a problem and he couldn't deny he missed the full range of human experiences, like being able to touch things, for example. But he was alive, and he had Elphaba, _finally, _after so long of dreaming and wishing, and so he was happy.

Elphaba, for her part, was still in frequent disbelief that Fiyero really did love her, and wanted to spend forever with her. But she sensed that Fiyero was lacking…. Missing something, and despite his protests that it was unnecessary, barely two months after they'd settled in Quox, she begun searching for a way to return him to his human form.

It had taken nearly eight months, and a few attempts, but finally she'd succeeded. Although Fiyero had accepted his life as something made of straw, he was overjoyed to be human again, and his happiness thrilled Elphaba, and she had felt that this was as close as she could come to 'happily ever after'.

Fiyero, however, had other ideas.

"Fiyero?" Elphaba called out as she entered their small house one day, returning from town.

"Don't come in yet!" Fiyero yelled back in a slightly panicked voice when she went to enter their bedroom.

Elphaba's eyes narrowed. "Why in the name of Oz not?" she demanded.

There was the sounds of shuffling, hurried footsteps and a small crash, then the door was opened and Fiyero stood there in the doorway, trying to look casual and innocent.

"You're back early! How was town?"

Elphaba wasn't fooled. "Fiyero… what _are _you doing in here?"

Fiyero smiled his most charming smile, and stepped back to allow her to see and enter the room.

Elphaba's jaw dropped. Their bedroom was filled with flowers and candles; and it was absolutely beautiful… not that Elphaba's suspicions were distracted nor quietened by this sight.

"Yero?"

"Do you know what today is?" he asked her quietly as she turned to face him.

She screwed her brow up in thought.

"Wednesday?" she offered finally and Fiyero laughed as he approached her.

"You're so sentimental, Fae," he teased her gently and she smiled. She still wasn't sure where his nickname for her had come from, but hey, anything was better than _Elphie_, wasn't it?

"Well then please enlighten me, O Genius One," she said sarcastically, rolling her dark brown eyes at him. "What is today?"

He smiled and cupped her jaw in his hand. "It's been a year today that we left Oz," he reminded her, and Elphaba's eyes dawned first with realisation, then confusion and suspicion returned.

"So… you decided the best way to celebrate would be to create a lot of mess and the possibility of burning the house down?" she asked slowly.

"For the love of Oz, Fiyero. If you were still made of straw…"

"It's a good thing my brilliant girlfriend changed me back then, isn't it?" Fiyero grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes again.

"Alright, Tiggular that's enough. What's going on?"

Fiyero took a deep breath, and took her hands in his. "Fae, I've been thinking-"

"A dangerous pastime," she couldn't resist quipping and he glared at her.

"Do you ever let anyone else talk?" he demanded, although there was a hint of a smile behind the words as they both recalled the first time he'd asked her that question.

"Sorry," she apologised with a small smile. Fiyero paused, trying to decide best how to do this.

"What did I call you just before?" he asked her.

Elphaba resisted the strong urge to groan- she _hated _these questions, she never knew what he was referencing to.

"Fae?" she guessed and Fiyero smiled patiently.

"Just before that."

Elphaba sighed and cast her mind back. "Your brilliant girlfriend?" she guessed again dryly.

Fiyero grinned as he nodded. He always found it amusing how she would so readily accept she was smart or powerful, but Oz forbid he tell her she was beautiful! Then she couldn't protest fast enough.

"What's your point?" she asked him, and Fiyero's nerves, which had faded momentarily, returned full-strength.

"My point is… it's not enough anymore."

He could see the confusion in her face. "_What's _not enough anymore?"

"Calling you my girlfriend. It's not enough."

Elphaba was officially bewildered. "Ok. So you're moving onto what? Partner, lover, significant other?" she guessed.

"I was leaning more towards 'wife'," Fiyero replied quietly.

Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes widened, her face turned a paler shade of green and she dropped their joined hands, actually taking a step back.

"Fiyero…"

Fiyero had had a suspicion she might react like this, but well… it still hurt. He'd made only a few casual references, jokes and hints about marriage in the past month or so, but she'd always brushed them off and changed the subject.

"What? Is the idea of marrying me _that _horrible?" he asked her, his hurt showing slightly.

Elphaba looked at him pleadingly. "Of course not," she replied quietly.

"Then what? Explain it to me! Why won't you marry me?" he demanded.

Elphaba hesitated, then sank down on to the edge of their bed, pushing her hands through her long dark hair.

"Fae? Please, I need you to explain this to me," he added more quietly, sitting next to her. "Don't shut me out, just help me to understand. Let me in that head of yours."

Elphaba took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she could find the words to explain to him why she was so against the idea of marrying him, but she knew she owed him that much.

"You're a prince," she began finally. "Princes like you don't marry people like me."

"You mean green people?" Fiyero asked with a raised eyebrow and she nodded.

"Exactly."

"Love, you're the only green person I've ever heard of. That's not an argument."

Weakly, Elphaba accepted that and moved on to her next point. "Until you… my mother was the only person who has ever loved me. My father hated me from the day I was born, it's because of me Nessa was stuck in that chair her whole life! It's my fault my mother died. I was only three when she died, for all I know, _she _hated me too."

"Why would your mother hate you?" Fiyero asked in shock.

"Their marriage was never the same after I was born. I was _green, _for Oz sake! Father didn't want to claim me as the next Governor of Munchkinland, and he resented my mother for not giving him a normal child. That's why he made her eat the milk flowers when she was pregnant with Nessa, and that's why she came too early."

"And what does all this have to do with marrying me?"

Elphaba chuckled. "People not care as much as they did in Oz, that I'm green. But they still stare at me… at us, when we go into town. You deserve to be married to someone beautiful… and regal. Someone worthy of marrying a prince. Someone like…"

Elphaba's voice trailed off and they both knew what she hadn't said. Someone like Glinda.

Fiyero took her hands in his again. "If I wanted to be married to someone like Glinda, I would have married Glinda," he answered bluntly.

"Fae, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't love you for the colour of your skin? I love you because you say what you mean, because you're passionate, because you stand up for what you believe in. I love you, because you made our whole history class at Shiz go crazy to save a Lion Cub. Because you're not afraid to wake up a sleeping prince when his driver almost runs you over; or to dance on your own in a _really_ dorky hat when everyone's staring at you."

"Shut up, my hat was not _that_ bad," Elphaba scowled at him, but she was smiling slightly as he recounted their history.

"It really was, love."

"I can't marry you," she said softly. There was a slightly fearful look on her face, as though he would leave because of her refusal to marry him; and that thought almost made him laugh, but he didn't want to upset her further.

"Why not?"

"Because… it's too normal! What's next, Yero? You want children and to live happily ever after?"

"Why not?" Fiyero shrugged.

"Green people don't get to live happily ever after," she retorted.

"I've never heard _that _rule before," he replied and she glared at him.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the memo."

"So, you don't get to live happily ever after, because you're _green. _Is that it? That's why you won't marry me? Is it the whole concept, or just the happily part?"

Elphaba was getting irritated with him, but answered him anyway. "It's the 'happily' part, it's the 'ever' part. It just doesn't happen."

"_Why not?"_

"Because every time I'm happy for a moment, something bad happens, and I'm sick of it," she snapped back. "I'm sick of losing people I care about, every time I get close to someone, they leave. My mother, Nessa, Glinda… you. Marriage and the fairytale ending seems to be pushing my luck. I don't get _happy_, I don't get _forever_. I just get the after. And I don't know why you're so keen on the idea, anyway. We're already together, and it's not like we don't live as though we're already married."

Fiyero forced her to look at him, his eyes fierce with an expression Elphaba couldn't quite place, but which told her he wasn't giving in.

"Do you remember that night in the forest?"

He didn't even have to ask, of course she remembered. It had felt so surreal, like it wasn't even her… until it had all come crashing down with Nessa's death and Fiyero's subsequent capture and torture at the hands of Gale force.

"That night, I told you I loved you and wanted to be with you," he said quietly. "I told you, that for as long as you were mine… for whatever time we had together, I wanted to make the most of it. You're still mine, Elphaba Thropp. And I know we've been to hell and back, but you haven't lost me yet, and you're not going to. You are mine, _forever."_

"I _am _yours," Elphaba agreed in a whisper. "You have my heart until the end of time, you know that. Why does that mean we have to get married?"

"Because I have your heart until the end of time," Fiyero repeated her words with a smile. "And I want you to be mine in every possible way until death do us part. And that includes legally. So, _marry me. _And be my wife. Let's show the whole world that you _are _mine… and that I'm yours."

Elphaba stared at him for a long moment with wide eyes. She couldn't think of anything else to say, until she whispered,

"Ok."

For a moment, Fiyero thought he'd misheard and he did a slight double-take as it sunk in.

"Ok? You said ok? You'll marry me?"

She nodded, unable to resist smiling at the pure elation in his eyes. She'd never seen that much happiness in his face before, not even when he'd become human again.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

She had more to say, but Fiyero kissed her before she could say anything else and wouldn't let her talk.

"We're not inviting the whole world though," she said sternly when she finally got a chance to talk.

"In fact, the less people the better."

Fiyero nodded in agreement, it wasn't like they had many people to invite anyway. Actually they had no one. The only people in the world they would want at their wedding was Glinda… and that was impossible. Maybe Fiyero's family, but again, they thought their son and heir to the throne was dead.

"Just us, a priest and a witness," he promise with delight.

"And I'm not wearing white," she warned him.

"Love, you can wear whatever you want," he promised her. He would have promised her the moon right now, anything as long as she was really going to be his wife.

"And wipe that stupid grin off your face," she scowled at him. Fiyero tried for a moment, but failed miserably.

Impatiently and faintly uncomfortable at how clearly thrilled he was, Elphaba rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I'm going to go make dinner."

Before she could move though, Fiyero grabbed her hand. "Oh, no you don't. Wait a second."

Elphaba turned towards him with a raised eyebrow, and stared at him as he sank down on to one knee.

"Fiyero!"

"I'm going to do this properly, because when I tell our children this story, I don't want to have to tell them I had to convince you to say yes."

Elphaba felt a moment of panic at the mention of children, but was completely distracted when Fiyero reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Inside was a simple silver engagement ring with a small diamond, set with even smaller emeralds alongside it.

"Elphaba Thropp, I am going to love you until the end of time and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the extreme honour of marrying me, and being my wife?"

Elphaba only paused for a moment, marvelling how one minute he could be the boy from Shiz, singing about 'Dancing Through Life' and the next she saw the Vinkus prince, and Captain of the Gale Force.

"Yes, I will," she said softly and he beamed as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I love you," she said to him, once he'd risen to his feet and pulled her to him.

"I love you too, my green girl. With all my heart."

Elphaba rolled her eyes again, and pulled away gently. "I'm going to start dinner."

Once, not long after leaving Kiamo Ko, they had been talking before Elphaba went to sleep- Fiyero still being a scarecrow at the time had no need of sleep- and the conversation had turned to the events that had transpired in the cornfield.

She'd rolled her eyes and looked at him in fond exasperation. "Really? You swing down and it's '_let the green girl go'?"_

Fiyero shrugged with a grin. "I couldn't call you Elphaba- they didn't know your name. We were told not to use it so it was more impersonal. But I wasn't going to call you a witch."

"I am a witch. Wicked Witch of the West, remember?"

He'd shook his straw head softly. "No you're not. You do witchcraft, but 'witch' is just a label. 'The Green Girl' is who you are. You're _my _Green girl," he'd added and Elphaba had reluctantly accepted that.

He only called her his green girl in rare moments when the situation warranted it. Usually that was after Elphaba had awoken from another one of her nightmares… but apparently proposing was acceptable too.

"So, how do you feel about getting married as soon as possible?" he asked her as they ate dinner that night.

Elphaba laughed. "Why not? It's not like we're waiting for anything… or have to send out invitations," she agreed and Fiyero caught her small sigh after that sentence.

He knew she'd give anything to have Glinda at their wedding, Fiyero- despite the awkward situation the three had left things back in Oz, felt the same. But it was too dangerous for anyone in Oz to know they were alive.

"She'll be here in spirit, Fae," he said quietly and she nodded.

"Right, I know. So will your family."

"And yours."

She scoffed. "Right. Maybe my mother. Father and Nessa weren't too fond of me the last time I saw either of them."

Fiyero was willing to argue that any differences she'd had with her father and sister in the past would have surely been put aside for such a happy occasion as Elphaba's wedding, but kept his mouth shut. Elphaba's family relationships were always a touchy subject with her, and Fiyero wasn't done basking in the elation of realising Elphaba had _finally _agreed to be his wife.

"Is next week too soon?" he asked instead, changing the subject.

Elphaba nodded after only a moment. Now that she had made up her mind to do this, and strive for a moment's happiness; overcoming her fears for her- and Fiyero; she couldn't deny she wanted to have the wedding as soon as possible. After everything that had happened so far, she couldn't shake her uneasy feeling that the longer the engagement was, the greater chance of something going wrong- which Elphaba fully expected it to.

"That should be enough time for me to find something that doesn't clash too horribly with green," she said lightly and Fiyero scowled at her.

"You know as well as I do Elphaba, that a lot more goes with green than you make out," he said sternly and she laughed.

"Yero, relax! _I'm _supposed to be uptight about being green, not you."

Fiyero's scowl softened, but he sighed. "I know, it's just… if you could see yourself through my eyes…"

Elphaba got up silently, and came around to his side of their small table, where she perched herself on his knee and kissed him.

"It's so much more than enough that _you _see me," she said quietly. "Because no one else has ever seen me as anything more than green."

Fiyero smiled and kissed her again, his arms wrapped securely around her waist. "I love you, Fae. And I can't wait for you to become Mrs Tiggular."

Elphaba smiled softly, Fiyero's obvious joy at the idea was infectious.

"I love you too, Yero my hero," she whispered, and Fiyero's heart melted, as it always did when she said those three little words.

It had begun as a gentle tease after they first left Oz, "Yero my hero," she'd called him with a gentle laugh when they'd been talking about the day they'd saved the Lion Cub together.

But it had gradually developed into a deep term of endearment, something she only called him in their most private and intimate moments. And it affected Fiyero in a way like nothing else, not even her "I love you"s- which had been so hesitant in the beginning of their relationship as though she was still afraid of rejection and had gradually become more frequent.

Fiyero kissed her again, deeply and his hands moved to tangle themselves in her waist-length black curls. The next week could not go fast enough.

**AN. Please feel free to review! Constructive Criticism is welcome, and remember you don't have to have an account to review. (no flames, pleases… they break my heart). **

**Also, "Let the green girl go!" is possibly my favourite line from the whole musical. **


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Trust me, if I owned WICKED we wouldn't be waiting around for a movie- there would **_**be **_**a movie.**

**AN. The name Aleppo… names were a challenge, because they had to sound Ozian. I actually just picked a name off a random map in the back of my bible. Everything about Quox is made up. **

Chapter 2

The village in Quox that Elphaba and Fiyero called home was called Aleppo, and it was small enough that on the rare occasions travellers from Oz made their way to Quox, they didn't stop but continued on to the cities and bigger villages. Quox was very different from Oz, not so much in climate or landscape, but just in culture. Here, Animals reigned free and enjoyed equal status with humans, and magic was commonplace. Best of all, they were completely ignorant of the happenings in Oz, so the phrase "Wicked Witch of the West" meant nothing.

The people's initial reaction to Elphaba's skin tone, was not fear, merely curiosity and Fiyero's transition from scarecrow to human barely registered as a note of interest. Elphaba had found work in a bookshop in the village, and loved it; whilst Fiyero joined the other villagers labouring in the fields. Elphaba had at first worried about this, after all Fiyero was a prince, and she was pretty sure he was unaccustomed to manual labour- she hadn't forgotten his "Dancing Through Life" philosophy at Shiz. But Fiyero found the work satisfying, and it was enough to put food on their table and live comfortably.

The couple mostly kept to themselves, but they were not alone in that respect, and they had several close acquaintances in town and were well-liked amongst the villagers. When Elphaba stopped in at the local dressmakers on her lunch break the next day to begin her search for something suitable to get married in, she was totally unprepared for the level of excitement the news would cause.

"Oh, it's about time!" Haggar, the local dressmaker exclaimed excitedly when Elphaba revealed the reason for her visit. Haggar was a Sheep, and very motherly and affectionate; she had a soft spot for Elphaba and Fiyero.

She clucked her tongue at Elphaba now as she admired the ring that adorned her left hand. "That boy's been wanting to marry you for as long as I've known you two. I'm glad to see you've both finally come to your senses."

Elphaba blushed, although she smiled fondly. Fiyero was hardly a boy anymore, they were both twenty-five; but Haggar always referred to him as a boy or young man.

"I don't want to wear white," she said warningly as the Sheep led her deeper into the shop to begin the dress hunt.

"That's your choice, dearie. As long as you wear something other than black, I'll be satisfied."

Elphaba laughed. Haggar accepted Elphaba's news that the wedding was only a week away with a calm nod.

"That's sounds wonderful, dear. I'll close up the shop so I can be there."

Elphaba was stunned momentarily. "Oh, you really don't have to do that," she said quickly but was shushed.

"Of course I do, after a year of waiting, I am not going to miss seeing you two dears get married- _finally. _And you'll be surprised how many people in this town will want to see this too. We are invited, I assume?"

Elphaba hesitated, the idea of having people there made her nervous, but she couldn't refuse could she? Not when the townspeople had been so accepting of her and Fiyero as newcomers; and no one had even commented on the fact they were living together although unmarried.

"Of course. If- if you really want to come," she said meekly and Haggar beamed.

"Wonderful! Now, let's find you a beautiful dress to wear."

By the time Elphaba had to go back to work, she and Haggar had selected a beautiful, yet simple dress that Elphaba felt comfortable in. The colour was hard to define- at first Elphaba had thought it was silver, but then it seemed to be a very pale lilac. Nevertheless, it actually looked rather nice against the emerald of Elphaba's skin, and Elphaba couldn't wait to Fiyero's face when he saw it. She agreed to keep the dress in the shop for the next week until the wedding, and returned to work with a small spring in her step.

All through the afternoon however, Haggar's words kept circling around in her head. "That boy's been wanting to marry you for as long as I've known you two."

Eventually, she told Fiyero about it that night as they lay in bed, and he laughed.

"She's a smart old Ewe, that Haggar. She even managed to manipulate herself a wedding invite, I hear?"

"Yes," Elphaba sighed lightly. "Is it true? What she said about you, though?"

"Yes," Fiyero answered honestly and Elphaba was quiet for a moment.

"Can I ask why?"

Fiyero stared at her, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Why I wanted to marry you?"

"No," she smiled gently, she already knew that from his proposal, as reluctant she was at times to believe it. "Why you didn't ask me before now?"

"Oh."

Fiyero was thoughtful for a moment, he wanted to get his wording exactly right so she wouldn't misunderstand.

"Well… in the beginning… As glad as I was to be alive- in whatever form- and to be with you… it wasn't what I wanted for you."

He saw a flicker of confusion and hurt in her dark eyes, and hastened to explain. "I wanted to be able to give you everything, and the life you deserve but never got; and I didn't want to do that as a scarecrow. And then you made up your mind to change me back, and I thought I'd wait until that happened… which admittedly, took longer than we thought. And then after I was human again, I wanted to be sure that you knew I wasn't going anywhere and that we were going to be together forever."

Elphaba let that sink in for a moment. "What's everything got to do with you being a scarecrow?" she finally demanded and Fiyero grinned.

"As soon as I knew I was going to marry you- that night in the forest- I couldn't help picture how the rest of our life was going to be. Our wedding, our home, everything. And then… when I became a scarecrow, I had trouble letting go of that picture. I wanted to marry you the right way… I wanted you to be marrying someone you could be proud to call your husband."

Elphaba, to his surprise, looked faintly angry. "And you think I couldn't have been proud to marry you because you were a _scarecrow? _I love you, and you were still you- just made of straw."

Fiyero could have mentioned the irony here that they'd had many a similar discussion about Elphaba's skin colour, but instead looked at her pointedly.

"So, if I'd asked you to marry me before the transformation you would have?"

Elphaba hesitated. "Well…"

He laughed. "See? And I know your hesitation has nothing to do with the scarecrow part, Fae. Just the marriage part. It's taken you a long time to knock the down the walls you've built around yourself for so long. This is the right time, and the right way for us to be getting married. Everything's worked out the way it's supposed to."

Elphaba smiled and moved closer to him, preparing to go to sleep. "Ok. I was just wondering. Goodnight."

"'Night, Love."

As it gradually spread around town that Elphaba and Fiyero were finally marrying- primarily thanks to Haggar, Elphaba suspected- more and more people informed the couple they would be coming to the church to witness the event, and the majority used the same words; "we wouldn't miss this for the world."

"They barely know us!" Elphaba said to Fiyero in bewilderment. "Why is our getting married such a big deal to anyone other than us?"

"Small town politics?" Fiyero shrugged. He didn't care who came, but he knew the idea of a big fuss made Elphaba nervous and uncomfortable.

"Fae, relax. They'll just watch the ceremony, congratulate us, and then we can go home, ok? There's not going to be any big reception or ado, I promise."

Elphaba was pleasantly surprised as her wedding day grew closer to find that she wasn't nervous at all. In fact, she was actually quite excited the more it sunk in that she was actually marrying Fiyero. The only thing that stopped the day from being perfect was the thought that back in Oz, Glinda had no idea they were alive or what was happening. Although she had to admit, she wasn't sure how Glinda would have felt about the wedding of her best friend and ex-fiancé.

On the morning of the wedding, Elphaba headed over to Haggar's store to get ready, feeling slightly dazed that in two hours, she would actually be someone's _wife_.

"You look so beautiful, Miss Elphaba!" gushed Santana, a young woman who worked alongside Haggar in the store.

Elphaba blushed shyly. "Thank you."

"Now, what are we doing with this beautiful hair of yours?" Haggar asked her, one hoof touching the long black silk that Fiyero loved so dearly.

Elphaba self-consciously fingered the long dark tresses. "I'm not really sure. I haven't thought about it… sorry, I don't tend to dress up much," she apologised, and Santana stepped forward, taking charge.

"Don't worry, Miss Elphaba, just leave it to me."

For all Elphaba's lack of nerves, Fiyero had more than enough for both of them. He was getting ready at home before heading over to the tiny village church where the ceremony would take place.

"What if something goes wrong? What if she changes her mind or something?" he asked himself aloud.

Then he rolled his eyes. "Wow, I've been spending too much time with Elphaba," he reprimanded himself.

He took a deep breath, and turned to stare out the window. He was wearing a new suit, and couldn't wait to see what Elphaba was wearing. She had given nothing away about her dress, but he suspected it would be black, knowing Elphaba as he did. He wasn't sure is she thought wearing black disguised her skin more, or helped her blend into the crowd, but she did wear it most often.

Alone with his own thoughts and growing nerves, he couldn't take the silence anymore and headed over to the church with just under an hour to go. As he passed people, they smiled and nodded at him, wishing him and Elphaba luck for their married lives.

The ceremony would be performed by the Aleppo pastor, a middle-aged man who had been among the first to welcome Elphaba and Fiyero to the village when they'd arrived, and had helped them find their cottage.

"Will Miss Elphaba be on time today?" he asked Fiyero, who was pacing restlessly before the altar.

Fiyero grinned. "Elphaba is never late- not even for her wedding."

As the minutes slowly ticked by, the townspeople began to trickle in and take their seats in the pews. Fiyero made nervous conversation with some of his friends who he worked in the fields with, all the while checking the time.

As he'd predicted, as exactly five to eleven, he saw Santana and Haggar enter the church and take their seats, and he knew that meant Elphaba was here and ready. He let out a sigh of relief, just knowing she was close and took his position by the altar as the crowd hushed.

Fiyero was completely unprepared however, for the moment when Elphaba entered the church and began walking down the aisle. Maybe it was the dress- it fit perfectly and the colour was so different than anything she usually wore, but so perfect at the same time. Her hair was swept up, with loose tendrils framing her face, and she was smiling. She was perfect, Fiyero thought as he took her all in, and he felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. Elphaba didn't look emotional to the unobservant, and she wasn't one for tears, but Fiyero could see she was truly happy in this moment and his heart swelled with elation.

"You're finally mine, Elphaba Tiggular," he whispered to her, pulling away after their first kiss as husband and wife.

She laughed quietly. "I was always yours," she replied simply and he kissed her again, both completely oblivious to the applause of the villagers who had come to witness this moment.

"Congratulations, dearie!" Haggar beamed at them when she made her way to the happy couple. "It was such a beautiful ceremony, I haven't cried that much in years!"

"Thanks for everything, Haggar," Fiyero thanked the elderly Sheep sincerely, and she waved him away.

"It was nothing dear, I haven't really done anything at all."

They both knew she had, it meant more than either Elphaba or Fiyero could say that they had someone in their lives who genuinely cared for them- especially for Elphaba, who had had so few people to care about her in her life.

The other villagers wouldn't let Haggar monopolise the newlyweds, however, and it was quite a while before Fiyero had accepted all their blessings on behalf of himself and his bride, and managed to lead Elphaba out of the church and towards their home.

"So, how does it feel, Mrs Tiggular?" he asked, almost dancing with joy at the title. "Waiting for the sky to fall in still?"

"A little," she admitted with a sheepish laugh. "Is that crazy?"

"Yes," Fiyero replied fondly. "We're together forever now, Fae. I think you might live 'happily ever after' in the end."

"I'm ok with just 'ever after'," Elphaba replied, and Fiyero pulled her closer to him.

"I can do that. Forever, Fae. I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Trust me, if I owned WICKED we wouldn't be waiting around for a movie- there would **_**be **_**a movie.**

**AN. Thanks to Sapphire Insanity, who told me Glinda **_**had **_**to be reunited with her friends. Not that I needed much persuading! **

Chapter 3

Glinda sighed tiredly as she looked out the carriage window, watching the countryside pass by. She had been on a goodwill mission to the main city of Quox, to promote good relations between Oz and it's neighbouring kingdoms. Then, she would stop for a few weeks in her native Gilikin to visit her family, then return to the Emerald City.

Glinda was thankful she had wonderful, sensible advisors who could run Oz in her absence; this would be the first real vacation she'd had since taking over the running of Oz… could it really be almost two years ago now? Actually, it was a year and eight months, Glinda knew that specifically. As much as she enjoyed running Oz, the date of the beginning of her reign was always going to be tainted with the memory of Elphaba's death.

She wasn't sure she had yet stopped grieving for the deaths of her best friend… and Fiyero. The best she could do was hope that they were together in whatever life came after this one, and that she sometimes felt their presence with her. Running Oz was satisfying, but Glinda was still very lonely. She had a few close friends of course, and a few suitors and admirers, but no friend could ever be to her what Elphie had been. And Fiyero… Glinda was no longer angry with her ex-fiancé. How could she be, when all he had done was fall in love and follow his heart? All her anger had vanished that day in the cornfield, as he'd apologised to her, right before being carried off for torture.

Even now, the memory of that day made Glinda shudder, and she blinked away the tears that pricked her eyes. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, only a few more hours and they would reach the Gilikin border; but for a moment Glinda regretted her decision not to travel by bubble. She had decided as long as she was going to Quox, she might as well try and enjoy the scenery. That and the fact travelling by bubble was inconvenient when you had luggage.

Lost in her thoughts, Glinda couldn't help but squeal as the carriage abruptly jerked and titled, before her driver pulled to a stop.

"What has happened?" she demanded, recovering from her moment of panic.

Her driver, a member of the Gale force who also served as her protection detail, was already on the ground checking the damage, and he turned to Glinda apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Miss Glinda- we appear to have broken an axle."

Glinda sighed, thinking this was all she needed. "Can you fix it?"

"Yes, Your Goodness- but it's going to take some time. Would you prefer to go on ahead to your parent's home by bubble?"

Glinda paused thoughtfully, hesitantly looking out the window at where they were. They were on the edge of a village, Aleppo, according to the small, faded sign she could make out down the road. A village would mean food, and cold drinks… perhaps even a dress salon or two? She had wanted to see Quox, hadn't she? Yes, the city had been wonderful, albeit not quite as grand as the Emerald City, but Glinda had always found a small charm and reality in village life.

"How long do you think it will take to repair the axle?" she asked her driver.

"Most likely only an hour, Miss."

Her decision made, Glinda opened the door and allowed her driver to assist her out of the carriage, thankful she had chosen a sensible and simple travelling dress to wear. She was in no real hurry to reach her parents' house.

"I think I will spend some time in the village," she informed him. "Maybe meet some of the townspeople, explore a little. Come find me when the carriage is repaired," she ordered and he bowed slightly.

"Yes, Your Goodness."

Glinda enjoyed her short walk in to town, but would be even more grateful if she could get a cold drink. It was summer, both in Quox and Oz, and the weather was undeniably warm.

When she reached the centre of the village, Glinda first stopped and got her refreshment, then sat looking around the town. There were both people and Animals either having lunch, shopping, or going about their daily business. And to Glinda's delight, she saw a dress salon a short way down the street from where she was having her iced tea.

"I don't have to _buy _anything," she told herself as she headed towards it, although she knew there was little chance of that happening. Even now, Glinda had not cured herself of her habit of buying pretty clothes at every opportunity- usually pink and frilly.

When she entered the store, there were a few other women browsing; whilst a young girl stood behind the counter. She smiled politely at Glinda as she entered, who returned the smile just as politely, rather glad for the anonymity she had discovered and enjoyed in Quox.

"Can I help you with anything?" the woman asked her, but Glinda shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'm just browsing… oh, that is adorable!"

Glinda's gaze had been caught by a tiny white baby dress, adorned with emerald green ribbon. Although Glinda had no need for baby clothes, she couldn't help but admire the handiwork.

The woman nodded with a soft smile. "It is, isn't it? Haggar, the Sheep who owns the store," she explained, recognising Glinda as a foreigner. "She's become slightly obsessed with making baby clothes and such at the moment."

"Is she expecting?" Glinda asked and the woman almost laughed.

"No, although a young friend of hers is. Oh, I wish I could show you… she just made the most beautiful baby blanket- although she's actually just in the back delivering it to the expectant mother as we speak."

"It will be such a lucky baby if the blanket is as sweet as this dress," Glinda replied warmly.

The young woman beamed and opened her mouth to reply, but turned as they heard voices coming towards them from the back of the store.

"It was nothing dearie, I've had a lot of spare time and goodness knows enough wool," Glinda heard and she turned to face the creator of the beautiful handiwork she had admired.

She saw an old Sheep first, and then the expectant mother followed and Glinda couldn't stifle a gasp. No… it couldn't be. It was impossible.

The mother-to-be looked up from the blanket she was holding tenderly in her hands, saw Glinda and froze. Her eyes widened, her face turned a paler shade of green than it was and it felt as though she stopped breathing as one green hand instinctively went to her rounded stomach.

"Glinda-" she murmured faintly, and promptly crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.

Glinda, still in shock, couldn't supress a shriek and pressed her hands to her mouth as the Sheep and woman both rushed forward.

"Miss Elphaba?" the woman cried, and Glinda felt like fainting too. How could it be? None of this made sense.

"Santana, help me carry her out the back- we'll lay her on the couch," the Sheep ordered calmly.

She turned to another customer in the store, who was looking worried. "Briar-Rose, run as quickly as you can to the fields. Hurry now."

The woman nodded and dashed out of the store, and the Ewe turned to Glinda. "You'd better come too, dearie."

Aghast, Glinda obediently followed, watching the limp green-skinned woman being carried out the back of the store. She found herself in a small sitting room, where Elphaba's unconscious form was laid out on the couch, and Glinda stood silently and motionlessly against the wall, unsure what to do or say.

"Get some water, Santana," she heard the Sheep say and the woman hastened away again.

Glinda was jerked out of her bewilderment as she heard the door to the shop crash open, the sounds of a man's urgent voice, then hurried footsteps. Glinda had only just begun to feel certain she was not going to faint, when the woman- Santana, returned to the back room with a glass of water and a cold compress, and was followed by someone so unexpected Glinda's knees almost gave out and if she was capable of making any noise, she would have screamed again.

It was Fiyero, and she knew his presence was just as impossible as Elphaba's. Fiyero didn't even see her, he simply dashed through the doorway and to Elphaba's side.

"What happened?" Glinda heard him demand, total anxiety in his voice.

"She fainted, dearie. Not uncommon for women in her condition, especially this time of year," the Sheep assured him.

"Is she okay? And the-"

"They'll both be fine," she interrupted. "Just the heat of the day I expect, and she looked as though she had a wee bit of a shock beforehand."

"A shock? What shock?"

The Sheep lifted her head to look at Glinda, and Fiyero followed her gaze. When he saw and recognised Glinda in a moment, his expression was nothing more than shock and disbelief.

"Glinda?" he gaped. "Is it really you?"

Glinda looked into the face of her ex-fiancé shakily. "How… how can this be?" she whispered. "You… can't be here. Both of you…"

"I can explain," Fiyero began, and Haggar interrupted.

"We'll leave you two alone. Just leave the compress on her head, she'll wake when she's ready, Fiyero. Come along, Santana."

When they were alone, Fiyero glanced anxiously at Elphaba for a moment before turning back to Glinda, standing up and approaching gingerly.

"Glinda, what are you doing here?"

Glinda was speechless momentarily, but quickly recovered. "What am _I _doing here?" she asked shrilly. "That's the most important question right now? Not why aren't you both dead? You're… you're supposed to be… you _died_. Both of you."

Fiyero nodded solemnly. "I know, I promise I can explain everything."

"Oh, you can? You can explain everything? Can you explain why you let me think you were dead? My best friend… and you. I've been grieving for you for nearly two years! Explain to me how that's okay, Fiyero Tiggular? I have been thinking that you were both dead, while you've been here evidently not caring at all about how much I was missing you!"

Glinda was absolutely furious, and Fiyero had stood there and taken it, but at her last sentence, his face darkened.

"You think we don't care?" he asked quietly. "Would you like me to show you how many letters Elphaba has written to you but not sent? Would you like me to tell you how much we've both missed you? How much it hurt Elphaba on our wedding day to know her best friend, the one person in the world she wanted there the most, couldn't be there? She has cried so many times for the pain she knows she's put you through- and you know as well as I do, that Elphaba doesn't cry. She didn't even cry on our wedding day, so don't tell me we don't care about you, Glinda."

Glinda, with tears in her eyes, stared at Fiyero in amazement. "You're married?"

He nodded hesitantly, wondering how she would react, and saw her gaze find Elphaba's left hand, adorned with her engagement and wedding band.

"When?" she asked finally, her voice quiet.

"Eight months ago," Fiyero replied.

"And how pregnant is she?"

"Six months."

Glinda couldn't help but be surprised that Fiyero had convinced Elphaba to marry him, let alone have a baby. She knew how many walls her friend put around herself to keep everyone else out.

"I just can't believe I'm really seeing you," she murmured. "I thought you were both dead."

Fiyero winced painfully. "I know, I'm sorry. We wanted to be able to tell you- Elphaba especially… but we couldn't. It wasn't safe for us in Oz anymore."

"Is it safe here?"

He shrugged. "No one here knows anything about the phrase 'the Wicked Witch of the West'."

Glinda took that as a 'yes'. A soft moan interrupted them, and immediately, Fiyero's full attention was back on Elphaba, as he crouched by his wife's side.

"Fae? Love, are you okay?" Glinda heard him ask softly. The 'Fae' confused her, but Elphaba opened her eyes.

"Yero… I think I'm going crazy."

"Why, love?" he asked her.

Elphaba closed her eyes, one hand going to the cold compress on her head. "I'm hallucinating, I think. You're going to laugh… but I could have sworn I just saw-"

"Glinda?" he finished and her eyes flew open to meet his.

"How did you know?"

Fiyero paused for a moment. "Well…"

Glinda tentatively took a step forward and moved into Elphaba's line of vision. "Elphie?"

Elphaba stared at her for a moment, slowly sitting up. "Glinda?"

Glinda nodded, on the verge of tears, but smiling all the same.

"You're really here?" Elphaba asked in wonder.

Glinda nodded again, and said nothing, waiting for Elphaba to get her head around the idea, lest she faint again.

"Glinda… I'm so sorry," Elphaba said unexpectedly, her voice suddenly breaking, and that was all that was needed for Glinda to burst into tears, and dash across to hug her friend tightly.

Elphaba was still in shock from the knowledge that Glinda was actually here, but she returned Glinda's embrace just as tightly, if tearlessly. Fiyero watched the scene with a soft smile on his face, but hoped that if Glinda's anger returned, she wouldn't direct it against his wife.

"Oh, Elphie! I've missed you _so _much!" Glinda wept and Elphaba chuckled, unable to find the words.

"Me too, Glinda," she said finally. "Me too. I wanted to tell you…"

"I know. Fiyero explained," Glinda said, pulling away with a smile. "But… I know why. I just don't understand _how._ I saw you…"

Fiyero and Elphaba exchanged a look, not really wanting to get into that here.

"It's a long story," Fiyero began, but Glinda understood what he meant.

"Of course."

Glinda sighed and turned back to Elphaba, beaming. "Let me look at you, Miss Elphaba."

Elphaba laughed slightly, as Glinda carefully examined her. Her hair was as long as ever and she was dressed in her usual dark colours, but something was different. It took a moment for Glinda to realise the change was in her eyes and her whole manner in which she held herself. She was less guarded, seemed more sure of herself, and less as though she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she glowed as a healthy expectant mother should.

Glinda couldn't help but giggle happily as she eyed Elphaba's rather large baby bump.

"Oh, I can't believe you're having a _baby_! Can I feel, Elphie?" she asked, her hands already on her stomach, and Elphaba laughed again, although slightly less easily. She really didn't like anyone other than Fiyero touching her stomach, but she couldn't say no to Glinda, not now.

So, instead, Elphaba guided her friend's hand down to where the baby was kicking, and Glinda gasped as she felt it move against her hand.

"Oh… Elphie… are you okay? I mean, with the fainting and all," she asked worriedly, but Elphaba nodded.

"I'm fine. I just… to find you _here._"

"It's fate," Glinda said decidedly and saw Elphaba and Fiyero exchange small smiles.

"Tell us about Oz," Elphaba begged, and Glinda happily began to fill her friends in on what was happening in their hometown since their absence.

Munchkinland was thriving under their new leadership, and the city was peaceful under Glinda's reign. Of course, Glinda was most desperate to know about their lives here in Quox, and the events that had transpired until now, but she recognised that they were still uncomfortable discussing such things out in the open.

Presently, they were interrupted by the Sheep, Haggar, Fiyero introduced her to Glinda as, and the Sheep bowed slightly before addressing her.

"There is a young man in uniform here, asking after Glinda the Good?"

Elphaba, sitting between Glinda and Fiyero on the couch, stiffened visibly and Glinda knew why. It was all very well for Glinda to find them here, who knew the truth about everything, but for anyone else, it would mean being discovered and they all knew immediately that uniform meant a member of the Gale force.

Glinda stood briskly, one hand comfortingly grasping Elphaba's. She would go and take care of the matter before the man came to find her. She couldn't let it get out to the citizens of Oz that the Wicked Witch of the West was in Quox, especially now with the baby on the way. But at the same time… Glinda didn't want to leave, not now when she'd just found her friends again.

"Thank you, I'll be out momentarily," she told Haggar politely, who left.

Glinda could see by Elphaba's face that she too, was reluctant for her to leave, and that settled the matter.

"You never did say what you were doing here," Fiyero said to Glinda.

She nodded. "I got distractified, didn't I? I was visiting the city on a goodwill mission to improve our relations with Quox."

"But here, in Aleppo?" Fiyero asked. "No travellers hardly ever pass through, and they definitely don't stop."

Glinda smiled. "It wasn't by choice, but I do think it was fate. My carriage broke down just outside town, and the man Haggar just mentioned is my driver."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow at her. "You, a carriage? What happened? Did your bubble pop?" she asked with her old bite and sarcasm.

Glinda tried to glare at her, but couldn't. This was the Elphie she knew and loved, and she was still far too grateful to learn she was alive to be mad at her.

"The bubble is inconvenient for travelling with luggage," she replied dignifiedly. "I'm going to tell him to go on without me, though. I'll use the bubble to leave tomorrow… if you'd like?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Elphaba replied immediately, looking relieved. She wasn't ready to say goodbye again yet, and they still had so much more to talk about.

"You can stay with us, if you don't mind the couch," Fiyero offered and Glinda beamed.

"It sounds perfect! I'll be back in a clock-tick."

When Glinda had dashed out of the room, Elphaba turned to Fiyero, beaming. "She's here! Glinda's actually here!"

"I know," Fiyero smiled, pleased to see her so happy. "Are you sure you're okay, love? I was worried."

"I'm fine," she assured him gently. "It was just the shock… I never expected Glinda to be here."

Fiyero smiled in agreement and kissed her, one hand resting on her stomach. "Just don't do it again okay? I'm not losing you again."

It was sufficient to say that Glinda's driver was surprised and confused by the orders to go on without his passenger, delivering her luggage to her parent's home on the way back to the Emerald City. He couldn't imagine why Miss Glinda would be remaining in this tiny Quoxian village, but he nevertheless obeyed, leaving only a small suitcase with his mistress.

"Is it far to your home?" she asked Elphaba when she returned and they stood to leave.

"Only a fifteen minute walk," Elphaba replied.

"And you're walking it at six months pregnant?" Glinda asked in horror. "Elphie, you really shouldn't! Not in the summer, anyway. No wonder you fainted!"

"I've been saying that for the past six months," Fiyero grumbled but Elphaba glared at him.

As they left, Elphaba thanked Haggar again, both for the care and the blanket, and the three left the shop into the late afternoon sunlight. They didn't talk much on the journey back to the cottage, and then Elphaba gave Glinda the grand tour as Fiyero disappeared to take care of dinner.

"It's nothing much, but it's enough," she said honestly, but Glinda was charmed by its quaintness and its homey feel.

"It's beautiful, Elphie. Your baby is going to love growing up here," she assured her and Elphaba smiled.

Glinda had made up her mind to wait until after dinner to press for Elphaba and Fiyero's story, but she couldn't help herself.

"Now, can you two _please _tell me how everyone thinks you're both dead?" she demanded and Fiyero and Elphaba exchanged another look.

"It was my idea," Fiyero began, and Glinda pointed her fork at him.

"Yes, you start. I _watched _you get carried off by the Gale force! They were going to _kill _you!" she exclaimed and Elphaba visibly winced.

"They almost did," Fiyero said honestly, taking Elphaba's hand in his. "Elphaba saved me."

"How?" Glinda demanded.

"She cast a spell… and it turned me into a scarecrow."

Glinda frowned for a moment, and the gaped with realisation. "You were _the _scarecrow? With Dorothy? Why didn't you tell me?" she shrieked.

Fiyero smiled patiently at her theatricality. "Well, I didn't really see you, did I? Once I realised what had happened, and that everyone would think I was dead, I realised what we could do- so Elphaba and I could flee."

He explained carefully to her all about how his family owned the castle at Kiamo Ko where Elphaba had been 'melted' and how it had trapdoors and secret passages all the way through it; he reminded her of the rumours that had been spread through Oz that water would melt Elphaba; and then described how he'd managed to get a note to Chistery to deliver to Elphaba, to tell her of the plan.

"That reminds me!" Glinda interrupted brightly, once he had finished. "You'd be so pleased to see Chistery, Elphie. He's speaking!"

Elphaba lit up at this unexpected news. "He's speaking? Really? I _knew _he could do it!"

She turned to Fiyero excitedly. "Yero, he's speaking!"

"That's wonderful," Fiyero assured her but she'd already returned her attention to Glinda.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine… he misses you too," she said a little sadly and Elphaba's smile faded somewhat.

Then Glinda told them about how she had taken over Oz, removed the Wizard and imprisoned Morrible- who had died in prison only a few months ago. She carefully left out her discovery that the Wizard was in fact, Elphaba's father, thinking her friend did not need any more shocks today in her condition.

Then Elphaba and Fiyero told her all about their life in Aleppo, their work and the townspeople, Fiyero proudly boasting how Elphaba had also transformed him back into his human form. Eventually, Glinda and Fiyero could see Elphaba begin to tire, and suggested she go to bed.

"But-" Elphaba protested weakly, and Glinda smiled at her.

"I'll be here in the morning, Elphie. I promise, we still have so much left to talk about!"

"What else could there be?" Elphaba wondered aloud as she reluctantly stood.

"Your wedding, of course!" Glinda said as though it were obvious. "I want to hear _all _the details about the proposal and the ceremony…"

Elphaba groaned, already tired at the thought of that conversation and Fiyero chuckled as he bid his wife goodnight, promising to be in soon.

"It's ok," she replied fondly. "You entertain Glinda. There's probably things you two should talk about."

Glinda hugged Elphaba tightly before she went to bed, and then she and Fiyero moved to the living room to talk further.

"How is she really?" she asked him quietly, and he looked surprised.

"What do you mean?"

She gave him a pointed look. "We both know Elphaba puts on a strong face to the rest of the world. And I'm guessing you see straight through it. So, how is she? Really."

Fiyero paused for a moment. "She's missed you," he began finally. "For a long time, she felt guilty about what she'd had to do to save my life, and that I'd made myself a fugitive with her… for her. She still has nightmares sometimes- about what happened to Nessarose, and Boq… and me. They started to become less frequent, but since she got pregnant…"

"What is she dreaming of?" Glinda asked worriedly.

"Usually people- the Gale force- taking me and the baby away. She has this… instinct, I guess, that the more she has to happy about, the more she has to lose. And she's always so sure that eventually she will lose it all."

"Poor Elphie," Glinda murmured. "How in the name of Oz did you convince her to have a baby in the first place? Or even to get married for that matter."

Fiyero grinned. "My charm," he replied and Glinda giggled.

"I had to really convince her about the wedding," he admitted. "We were fine the way we were, but I really wanted it to be… official. We were only engaged for a week."

"Wow, you move fast," Glinda said dryly. "And the baby?"

"Was not planned," Fiyero said awkwardly. "Which… I kind of prefer, because I didn't have to convince her. I was prepared to have a long battle over the idea, but… it just happened."

"And how does Elphaba feel about it? I mean, you're obviously over the moon, but is she excited? She seemed to be when I mentioned it, but I can never be sure."

Fiyero nodded slowly. "I know. She is excited… she likes the idea. But she's also very afraid."

"Of the baby being green?" Glinda asked matter-of-factly.

Fiyero nodded again. "Of the baby being green, of me rejecting the baby if it is green…"

"I suppose it doesn't help that her mother died in childbirth with Nessa," Glinda sighed, wishing that just once Elphie could have something go right for her.

"Exactly," Fiyero agreed.

"Do your parents know?" she asked him and was stunned when he shook his head.

"No. You are the only person who knows we're alive."

Glinda was horrified. "Fiyero! Your parents must be going through hell!"

"I know," Fiyero admitted heavily. "And I really do feel awful… but Elphaba's safety is too important to risk. Especially now."

They fell silent for a long moment, and then Glinda chuckled. "I see the two of you together… and I wonder how I never saw it before."

Fiyero stared at her. "There was nothing to see," he replied.

Glinda shook her head. "Yes there was. The day we left for the Emerald City… I remember saying to Elphaba that you were different… distant and modified. And when I came back, it never changed. You were never really here with me, it was always like your head was somewhere else. I guess I know why," she laughed gently and Fiyero looked pained.

"Glinda…"

"It's ok," she assured him. "I see you with her now, the way you look at her… she has your whole attention. It's sweet. You joined the Gale force to find her, didn't you?"

Fiyero nodded. "Yes. I had to know she was okay, that she was safe. But at the same time… I _did _care for you, Glinda, and I didn't want to hurt you. Not after you'd lost your best friend."

"I realised that," she said gently. "But I always wondered… where did it all start? It seemed to happen so suddenly."

Fiyero smiled, and told her the story about the day he and Elphaba had saved the Lion Cub, the day Dr Dillamond had been fired and Glinda laughed.

"Oh, yes. That was the day that changed Galinda into Glinda," she giggled and Fiyero laughed when she told him she'd made the decision to impress him.

Abruptly, Fiyero stopped laughing, and Glinda's blood ran cold as a chilling scream echoed through the cottage.

"Fae," he murmured and dashed away.

Glinda followed him into his and Elphaba's bedroom and watched as he hastily yet gently shook Elphaba awake, who was tossing urgently with sweat shining on her forehead even in the darkness. With a sudden gasp, she bolted upright and looked around the room with wide eyes, clearly panicked.

"Fae, honey- you're okay, you're okay," he said soothingly and as she found his face in the darkness, she burst into sobs and he pulled her into his arms.

"They took you… and the baby," she sobbed into his chest and Fiyero rocked her gently, rubbing small circles on her back.

"Fae, sweetheart… I promise you, no one is ever going to take me or our children away from you," he whispered to her.

Glinda's heart broke as she watched the scene before her. The last time she had seen Elphaba even close to tears was in the cornfield as she mourned the death of Nessarose. Now, as Glinda watched, she wept desperately into Fiyero's arms, and Glinda mentally cursed the Wizard and Morrible, deciding there and then she couldn't tell Elphaba the truth about her parentage.

They didn't move until Elphaba had cried herself back to sleep and then Fiyero eased her down onto the pillows, and he and Glinda returned to the living room.

"Does this happen every night?" she demanded, still furious.

Fiyero nodded. "Mostly. Some nights she's fine, other nights she's only shaken a little. This was a bad one."

Glinda looked at his tired and worried face and felt awful. "Why don't you go to bed, Fiyero? I'm quite tired now anyway."

Fiyero didn't protest. "Are you sure? Ok, I'll just get you a pillow and a blanket."

Glinda accepted the bedding from him with a smile, and then ordered him off to bed. She knew she had to do what she could to help Elphie before leaving, she just wasn't sure how.

Glinda was already awake and refreshed when Fiyero emerged the next morning.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked her.

"Fine, thanks. How did Elphie sleep?"

"I slept. That's enough," Elphaba answered for herself, following her husband out. She still looked tired and Glinda quickly embraced her friend tightly, which Elphaba returned warmly.

"Listen, we wanted to ask you something," Elphaba said seriously, pulling away and looking nervous.

"What is it?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba glanced at Fiyero before continuing. "Well, I'm due in another ten weeks… and Fiyero is being ridiculous and thinks I shouldn't be home alone before hand-"

"It's not being ridiculous, it's not wanting you to go into labour by yourself," Fiyero interrupted sternly. "I can't take time off work," he explained to Glinda, who was smiling at his protectiveness.

"And I know it must be hard for you to be able to leave Oz," Elphaba continued, ignoring him. "But we wondered if you'd consider coming back… for when the baby's born."

"Elphie, _of course, _I'll come back!" Glinda exclaimed immediately with a squeal. "I'd stay now, if it wasn't for the fact Momsie and Popsicle are expecting me."

"Really?" Elphaba asked, her face lighting up.

Glinda beamed. "Really. I have wonderful advisors who can manage without me for a while. I'll just tell them this short break reminded me I really need a vacation, and I want to see more of Quox!"

Truthfully, Glinda had already had the idea of coming back to see the baby, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"How soon do you have to leave today?" Fiyero asked her, but Glinda waved him away.

"It's a short trip by bubble. I'm not going anywhere til I hear all the details about your wedding!"

Elphaba groaned and Fiyero chuckled. "That's my cue to leave for work, I think," he grinned.

"Convenient," Elphaba raised an eyebrow at him, but he merely kissed her softly, then kissed her stomach.

"I'm really glad you came, Glinda," he said sincerely as he hugged her goodbye and Glinda nodded tearily.

"Me too. And if either of you ever fake your deaths again, I'll kill you myself. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Fiyero replied with a grin.

"That goes for you too, Mrs Tiggular," she said to Elphaba sternly when Fiyero had gone and Elphaba had started to make breakfast.

To her confusion, Elphaba began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Glinda demanded.

"I'm sorry, Glinda. It's just… you're the first person besides Fiyero to ever call me Mrs Tiggular," she explained and Glinda was stunned.

"Really? But you've been married for eight months!"

Elphaba shrugged. "The townspeople still call me 'Miss Elphaba', and I don't exactly meet a lot of new people."

Glinda sighed. "I couldn't do it, Elphie. Living so isolated, away from everything."

"There's a shock," Elphaba said dryly and Glinda laughed.

"Now, _please _tell me you have wedding pictures?"

Elphaba laughed again. "Yes, there's an album on the bookshelf."

Glinda turned with satisfaction to go find the said album, but turned in the doorway with a grimace.

"You didn't wear black, did you?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You'll have to find out for yourself," she replied teasingly and Glinda hurried off to see.

If Elphaba had had her way, there would be no photos, but Haggar and Fiyero had both insisted on it until she gave in.

"Oh, _Elphie!" _Glinda sighed with awe, returning with the album. "You both look so beautiful!"

"I'm sure Yero will be thrilled with that description," Elphaba grinned mischievously, and Glinda laughed.

"Last night… I heard him call you 'Fae'. Where did that come from?" she asked and Elphaba smiled.

"If you ever work that out, let me know," she answered, serving up eggs and toast for them both.

Over breakfast, Glinda begged until Elphaba told her the story of how Fiyero had proposed, which reduced Glinda to tears; and then she insisted on doing the dishes whilst Elphaba put her feet up.

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid," Elphaba grumbled, but Glinda simply shushed her.

"Now, have you thought about baby names yet?" Glinda asked eagerly when the kitchen was clean to her satisfaction.

Elphaba smirked. "Is this where you start saying what a beautiful name 'Glinda' is?"

"Well," Glinda began and they both laughed.

Elphaba sighed happily, beaming at Glinda. It had been so long since she had laughed like this, it almost felt like the old days at Shiz when they had no worries.

"You're godmother, you know," she said quietly and Glinda beamed.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Of course. There's no one else we would have had," she answered honestly. "I mean, it wouldn't have been official… but we would have known."

Glinda was again on the verge of tears. "Oh, Elphie. Thank you," she said softly and Elphaba shrugged modestly.

"It seemed the least we could do. After everything…" Glinda detected guilt in her friend's voice, and knew she wasn't just talking about now and faking her own death, but everything that had happened before that.

"Elphie, none of that matters now. I mean, it's clear you two belong together. That boy adores you," she said and Elphaba chuckled embarrassedly.

"You know…" Glinda said thoughtfully. "I always thought Glinda Tiggular had a nice ring to it."

The two women exchanged a look and both burst out laughing again.

Glinda was still reluctant to leave, but knew if she left it too long, her parents or her driver might get nervous and begin inquiring about her whereabouts which would be bad for Elphaba and Fiyero.

"I'll come back two weeks before your due date," she promised Elphaba as she hugged her goodbye. "And I'll stay for a nice long visit."

"You can stay as long as you want," Elphaba replied, slightly emotional but choosing to blame it all on pregnancy hormones.

Glinda smiled, and eyed her stomach for a moment, her face turning serious.

"Elphie, trust me when I tell you that you're safe here. No one from Oz is going to come after you… and I don't think the baby will be green," she said honestly. "And even if it was- Fiyero won't care."

"I know," Elphaba sighed heavily with a wry smile. "If he's okay with me being green, he should be fine if the baby's green, right?"

"Elphaba!" Glinda reprimanded her and she laughed.

"I'm just being paranoid," Elphaba continued. "Things always seem to go wrong when everything feels perfect."

"Not anymore," Glinda insisted vehemently. "So, take care of yourself and my godchild. And don't give Fiyero anymore reason to worry about you than he is already. I'll be back in eight weeks," she ordered and Elphaba smiled.

"And counting."

"Of course," Glinda beamed excitedly. She kissed Elphaba goodbye, and waved as she performed the spell to transport her by bubble.

As Elphaba vanished from her view, Glinda prayed to all that was Good in the world that Elphaba's fears would amount to nothing.

**AN. I know it seems odd, Glinda would agree to sleep on the couch, but I think she's just happy her friends are alive again at this point.**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Trust me, if I owned WICKED we wouldn't be waiting around for a movie- there would **_**be **_**a movie.**

**AN. I debated whether to have Glinda tell Elphaba about the Wizard or not, but it worked out in the end. Also, again- it's weird to have Chistery drive her carriage, but he seems pretty smart and I couldn't work out how else to get her here without blowing Elphaba and Fiyero's cover.**

Chapter 4

Glinda's advisors were certainly surprised when she announced upon her return she would be taking another, extended vacation- in Quox, no less. But they understood her reasons, she had been solely dedicated to the running of Oz for nearly two years now, she deserved a break even if it was at slightly short notice.

Glinda sent a note to Elphaba and Fiyero with Chistery- she knew he could be discreet in the delivery, and she also knew Elphaba would be thrilled to see him again. When Glinda had told him that Elphaba was alive and where he could find her, the joy on his small face was almost more than Glinda could bear. The note confirmed that she would be returning to Aleppo in eight weeks, and if it was convenient, was hoping to stay for ten weeks- that should allow perhaps eight weeks to spend with her godchild- providing Elphaba delivered on time. Elphaba's return had been short but clearly happy, and she mentioned how glad she was to see Chistery again.

There was only three more weeks now, until Glinda would take her 'vacation', and for the past five weeks, she had been wrestling with herself whether she should have told Elphaba the truth about her father. She felt awful carrying around this secret with her, knowing Elphaba was alive, but also knew the news might upset her dreadfully. And really, what could it change, her knowing? Frex was dead, the Wizard was gone… Elphaba knowing would change nothing. Eventually though, Glinda decided she would tell Fiyero when she arrived in Aleppo, and get his opinion on the matter of whether Elphaba should be told.

When Glinda made the journey back to Quox, it was again by carriage, although this time she used Chistery as a driver- the only person in Oz she trusted enough with this. There was no telling, should anyone else get a glimpse of either Elphaba or Fiyero, how they would react. Chistery already knew they were alive, and was a very good driver- for a Monkey. She also had additional luggage this time- she hadn't been able to resist buying clothes and a few other things not only for the baby, but for Elphaba and Fiyero.

Fiyero came out to meet her as the carriage approached the cottage, looking so apprehensive that Glinda was alarmed.

"What's happened? Are Elphie and the baby okay?" she demanded as he helped her out of the carriage.

He looked surprised. "They're fine. Why?"

"Well then why in the name of Oz do you look so worried?"

He grinned. "I was just wondering how many suitcases you brought with you… and where they're all going to fit."

Glinda sniffed in a dignified manner. "I could say the same about your baby, Fiyero. Unless you're planning to have your couch turned into the nursery."

Fiyero laughed. "Touché. No, I've been busy the past eight weeks- you'll see."

"So, how is Elphie?" Glinda asked him seriously.

"She's doing okay," he answered. "She's very eager to have this baby, and I quote 'not be the size of a Quoxwood tree.'"

"She can't be _that _big," Glinda began, but cut herself off as Elphaba came out as fast as she could, and Glinda saw for herself how large she was.

"Oh Sweet Oz!" she squealed, dashing forward to hug her friend and touch her stomach. "There's just the one baby in there, isn't there?"

Fiyero winced, Elphaba was very sensitive about the size of her baby bump, as he'd learned quickly in the past three months.

"It's just the one," Elphaba replied stiffly and Glinda immediately realised her error.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that, Elphie! You look beautiful! It's just… you've gotten so much bigger in only eight weeks!"

"I'm aware," Elphaba said, but she smiled faintly.

Fiyero began to assist Chistery removing Glinda's luggage from the carriage and groaned.

"For the love of Oz, Glinda! Are you moving in?"

Glinda laughed. "Of course not, silly! Think of the commute! Besides, it's not all mine- I brought you all some presents! And a few little things for my godchild of course."

Elphaba eyed her warily. "And how much of what you bought for the baby is pink?"

Glinda's silence was all the answer she needed, and she rolled her eyes. "Glinda- what if it's a boy?"

"Then you have lots stocked up for the next one," Glinda replied easily and Elphaba scoffed.

"Right- the next one."

"I'm working on it," Fiyero assured Glinda with a grin, and she giggled.

Elphaba decided to ignore them both, and instead began to lead Glinda inside. "Come on, I'll show you what Fiyero's been doing."

Glinda was amazed at the changes she saw as she entered the cottage. Fiyero- and others she assumed- had built an extension onto the cottage, and there were now two extra bedrooms joined onto the existing structure.

"Is two rooms wishful thinking on Fiyero's part?" Glinda assumed but Elphaba hesitated, blushing.

"Actually… one's for you, we were hoping."

Glinda turned to her friend, moved beyond words.

"Well, you can't sleep on the couch for the next ten weeks, can you? And I didn't think you'd want to share a room with a newborn. You wouldn't get your beauty sleep, and you need all the help you can get," Elphaba said teasingly with a laugh.

When Glinda said nothing, Elphaba got nervous. "It's just… we hoped you might get to visit occasionally. Do you not like it?"

"Oh, Elphie! I love it!" Glinda managed to choke out, and threw herself onto Elphaba for a hug.

Fiyero walked in with an armload of suitcases as Elphaba tried to stay upright, and supressed laughter with difficulty.

"I'm going to guess she likes the room?"

"What gave you that idea?" Elphaba replied, and Glinda pulled away, beaming.

When Glinda's numerous suitcases had been unloaded and they had bid goodbye to Chistery, who was returning to Oz and would come back in ten weeks to take Glinda home, she insisted she give Elphaba and Fiyero the presents she had brought with her before dinner.

There were numerous books for Elphaba, as well as clothes for both of them, and of course, many tiny baby clothes which Elphaba had to admit were beautiful, even if most of them were pink.

"And last, but not least, a very special gift for Mrs Tiggular," Glinda sang, pulling a small box out and handing it to Elphaba.

Elphaba shot Glinda a puzzled look, but obediently opened the box. What she saw inside made her gasp, and tears sprung to her eyes.

"Glinda…"

Glinda watched gleefully as Elphaba pulled out the small green bottle that had belonged to her mother, fingering it as though it were about to shatter any second. This was followed by the jewelled shoes that had been a gift to Nessarose from Frex, the shoes Elphaba had wanted to remember her little sister by and had instead been given to Dorothy.

"How?" Elphaba asked in amazement and Glinda shrugged modestly.

"I have my ways, Elphie."

"Thank you," Elphaba murmured, her throat clogged with tears and Glinda squeezed her hand tightly.

"They are rightfully yours, I'm just returning them."

Elphaba laughed sheepishly as Fiyero leaned over gently and wiped a tear that had fallen of his wife's cheek.

"I really hate these stupid hormones," she said and Glinda smiled.

As she had the last time Glinda had been here, Elphaba retired to bed early, and Fiyero and Glinda sat talking quietly in the living room.

"Fiyero… I need to tell you something," Glinda said uncertainly, and Fiyero stiffened.

"Is everything okay?"

She knew he was worried about whether someone had discovered them, and she hastily continued.

"Everything's fine, I promise. Look, after Elphie… died, I found something out. Some important news. And it didn't mean anything when I thought you were both dead, but now… I'm not sure whether I should tell Elphaba or not. I need your opinion."

Fiyero frowned cautiously. "What did you find out?"

"Has Elphaba told you about the green bottle I gave her tonight?" Glinda asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, it was her mother's. So what?"

Glinda took a deep breath. "That day… when you ran off with Elphaba," she began and they both grimaced at the memory.

"After you'd left, the Wizard…he offered me a drink. And I didn't think anything of it, I well… I kind of had other things on my mind at that moment. But when I went and saw Elphie when I thought she'd just died… all that was left was her cloak and her mother's bottle."

"Ok," Fiyero encouraged, bewildered.

"The bottle was just like the one that the Wizard offered me a drink from. I confronted him about it, and he said…"

Fiyero gaped at her as he realised where she was going with her story. "_No?"_

She nodded grimly. "Yes. Madame Morrible said… that it was why Elphie's so powerful. Because she's from both worlds."

"So, Frex isn't her father?"

Glinda shook her head. "No. I wasn't sure if she should know or not. I mean, Frex is dead and the Wizard is gone. Nothing changes if I tell her, does it?"

"No, but Elphaba changes," Fiyero said quietly.

"Should I tell her?" Glinda asked anxiously.

Fiyero honestly had no idea how his wife would react to this news. "I- I don't know."

Glinda sighed wearily. "It's just so complicated. Elphie really believed in the Wizard, when we were at Shiz! More than anyone… and then when she found out what he was really like… she was so devastated. If I tell her that he's her father…"

Fiyero nodded. "I know. Maybe… maybe tell her after the baby's born? She doesn't need any more stress right now," he said anxiously and Glinda nodded.

"I know."

"Let me sleep on it, okay?" he asked her and she nodded again.

"Fine, we have plenty of time. Goodnight, Fiyero."

"Night, Glinda," he replied quietly, and Glinda left him in his thoughts.

After a night's sleep and careful consideration, Fiyero still thought it was best not to mention anything to Elphaba about the Wizard until after the baby was born- if then. Although the idea of keeping it from her made him uncomfortable- they had no secrets from one another- he didn't want to cause her any more stress or pain than she had already endured.

So, whilst Fiyero worked during the day, Glinda and Elphaba filled the next two weeks together. Elphaba was on leave from her work at the bookstore, and so the two young women went for walks through the village, where Elphaba introduced Glinda to some of the villagers. Haggar was a frequent visitor to the cottage, delivering more baby clothes and gifts for both Elphaba and the baby, and Glinda was pleased Elphie had someone in her life to somewhat fill the role of mother.

They also had long, deep talks about everything; from their days at Shiz, to what Elphaba had done after first fleeing the Emerald City with the Grimmerie. They talked about Elphaba's childhood, her relationships with both Frex and Nessarose, and even everything that had happened with Fiyero since he first arrived at Shiz.

"It's still hard even now, for me to let him in," Elphaba admitted one day. She had three days to go until her due date and now spent the majority of her day in bed, resting.

Glinda was perched on Fiyero's side of the bed as they talked.

"Why?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba shrugged. "Old habit. I'm so used to closing myself off to protect myself and be the strong one… it's still a little surreal that he loves me."

Glinda smiled. "Well get used to it, Elphie. I've never seen anyone look at someone the way he looks at you… _I_ find it surreal that love like that actually exists."

"Love like what?" Elphaba frowned.

"True love. A love so great you'd sacrifice everything for the other person… especially founded on just a moment."

Elphaba blushed uncomfortably and guiltily. "Fiyero's done all the sacrificing, not me," she muttered and Glinda saw the guilt she still felt even now.

"You've sacrificed yourself," Glinda told her quietly. "You've made yourself vulnerable and made yourself face your fears for him. You married him, didn't you? You're having this baby. And I know that being happy scares you, so I'd consider that a very big sacrifice."

Elphaba smiled faintly, and then shook her head, eager to steer the conversation out of the serious tone it had taken.

"Can you help me up, please?" she asked.

"Bathroom again?" Glinda asked with a slight smirk and Elphaba grimaced.

"Yes. And my back is killing me."

Glinda helped Elphaba to her feet, and she waddled off to the bathroom, as best she could with her large stomach in front of her. It was almost comical, but Glinda didn't laugh, just smiled at the sight she made. She knew the hardest thing for Elphaba about her pregnancy, despite her fears, was having to accept help from others now that she couldn't do everything for herself.

"Elphie, I'm going to get some iced tea!" she called towards the bathroom. "Do you want some?"

"Sure, thanks," Elphaba replied faintly and Glinda went to the kitchen to get the drinks.

"Elphie? You know how much I love the colour that you picked for the nursery, right? I mean, I know you think Fiyero's an idiot because he insisted on painting it green, but it really is pretty and gender-neutral. But I was thinking… after the baby's born, you could add something to it. Before I left the City I saw the most beautiful pink mobile…"

Glinda stopped talking as Elphaba entered the kitchen, and she smiled sheepishly at the expression on her face.

"Don't look at me like that, Elphie. It was just a thought," she assured her.

"Glinda…"

"I know, I know- the baby could be a boy, but it really was a beautiful mobile and I just have this _feeling _that it's a girl."

"Glinda."

"Of course they probably have it in blue if it's a boy, but it just seemed more girly, you know?"

"Glinda!"

Glinda jumped as Elphaba practically yelled her name. "What?" she demanded.

"My waters broke," Elphaba replied shakily, and Glinda gaped, her strange facial expression taking on a whole new reason.

"Oh, Goodness! Are you sure?"

Elphaba nodded, her face pale and her eyes wide with what Glinda knew was unmasked terror.

Hastily, Glinda hurried to her side and put an arm around her green shoulders.

"Elphie, everything's going to be okay, I promise. Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Elphaba looked at her for a moment dazedly before answering. "Fiyero. I need Fiyero."

"Ok, we can do that," Glinda replied soothingly, moving her over to the living room to sit on the couch.

She was surprised at how much Elphaba was shaking, she had never seen her friend so scared- ever.

"I'll go get Fiyero, okay?"

Glinda made to leave, but Elphaba grabbed her hand tightly. "No, don't leave me," she begged and Glinda's heart melted.

"Elphie, honey- I have to. Just for a moment. I can't deliver a baby, and Fiyero won't want to miss this. I promise you, I'll take the bubble, and I'll only be gone for a moment. Ok?"

Elphaba knew she was right and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Ok," she said in a small voice and Glinda helped her stand.

"Ok, I'm going to help you change into your nightgown and get into bed, and then I'll go get Fiyero as quick as I can, okay?"

"What if I'm a horrible mother?" she asked Glinda quietly, who shook her head.

"Impossible, Elphie. Do you hear me? No matter how hard it is for you to let people in, you are going to love this baby and be a fantastic mother- there's no arguing about it. Understood?"

Elphaba nodded. So Glinda helped her change and then get into bed, carefully putting her long black hair into a ponytail so that it was off her face. As she moved more pillows behind Elphaba's back, Elphaba felt a sharp pain ripple through her abdomen, and she couldn't help but utter a sharp cry, grabbing Glinda's hand tightly.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked in alarm, wincing at the pain as Elphaba squeezed her fingers.

"I'm okay," Elphaba gasped with a grimace. "Contraction."

Glinda gently loosened her fingers and flexed her hand. "Alright, I'll be back as quick as I can."

"Hurry," Elphaba whispered and Glinda nodded, hurrying out of the room.

Once she was out of the cottage, she called her bubble to her, and moved quickly down to the fields where Fiyero was working.

"Fiyero!" she called, dashing up to him as she spotted him and he looked around immediately.

"Glinda? What-?"

"Elphie's in labour," she cut him off, and Fiyero paled.

"What? Is she okay?"

"She's scared… she's asking for you."

Fiyero nodded. "Right, let's go."

He turned to the man next to him. "Can you get Haggar to the cottage as soon as she can?"

The man nodded. "Sure, Fiyero. I'm on it."

Fiyero nodded his thanks, and he and Glinda hurried away.

"Why Haggar?" Glinda asked breathlessly.

"She's also the town midwife," Fiyero explained, his worry for his wife clearly on his face.

When they arrived at the cottage, Fiyero immediately dashed to Elphaba's side whilst Glinda went and got some water.

"Fae?"

The relief in Elphaba's eyes as she saw him was overwhelming. "Yero…"

"I'm here," he said soothingly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm okay. So far."

Glinda returned with the water and took Elphaba's free hand. "See, I told you I'd be quick!"

Elphaba smiled faintly. "You'll both stay with me, won't you?"

"The whole time, sweetheart," Fiyero promised and Elphaba looked reassured.

Haggar arrived not long after, just as Fiyero was witnessing Elphaba having a contraction for the first time. Seeing her in so much pain and there being nothing he could do made him grimace, and Haggar saw his face and laughed.

"Oh, dearie. It's going to get much worse than this, I promise you."

Fiyero highly doubted that, but the next eleven hours proved him wrong. Elphaba's labour slowly progressed, her contractions growing more and more intense, and she became unable to stifle her cries of pain as she grew more exhausted. Fiyero watched helplessly, almost unable to bear the sight of it, but Glinda was a rock of support for both of them, soothing Elphaba's sweaty brow, helping her drink water and murmuring words of comfort.

Finally, after almost thirteen hours, Haggar looked up with a smile.

"Alright, Miss Elphaba, I can see the head. It's time to deliver this baby, huh?"

Elphaba let out a sound that was half a gasp, half a sigh, and she collapsed against the pillows with exhaustion.

"Come on, Elphie- just one more push and you can meet your baby," Glinda said excitedly.

Elphaba swallowed hard, her throat dry and turned to find Fiyero's gaze.

"Yero…"

He smiled encouragingly, tightening his grip on her hand. "I'm here, love. You can do this, okay? One more push."

Elphaba fought through her exhaustion and shook her head. "No, Yero…"

"What is it, Fae?" he asked quietly, seeing the expression in her eyes as she met his gaze.

"Promise me something," she said breathlessly as another contraction seized her.

"Anything," he replied immediately.

"Promise me… no matter what colour our baby is, that you'll love it as much as you love me," she begged, tears spilling from her eyes.

Fiyero gently wiped the tears away and leaned close to her, his heart breaking. "Elphaba, it's absolutely impossible for me to love anyone as much as I love you. But I promise, no matter what colour our children are, I'll love them second-best after their incredibly brave mother," he answered her solemnly and Elphaba chuckled faintly.

"I suppose that's good enough."

Glinda and Haggar, who had both been pretending not to listen to the couple's private moment; sprang into action as Elphaba's body tensed with another contraction.

"Elphaba- push!" Haggar ordered and Elphaba obeyed, clutching Glinda and Fiyero's hands to the point of breaking them as she pushed with all her remaining strength, until an immense feeling of relief washed over her, and a baby's cry filled the room, the most beautiful sound Elphaba had ever heard.

"It's a girl!" Haggar announced as Elphaba sagged back against the pillows with exhaustion.

Strangely her first thought was that all the pink Glinda had bought wouldn't go to waste, and then she started laughing weakly. Glinda and Fiyero were both crying and Haggar beamed as she cut the umbilical cord, wrapped it up, and placed her in Elphaba's arms.

As soon as she was holding her daughter, Elphaba was overwhelmed by the immediate and immense love she felt for the tiny creature in her arms. This was a piece of her and Fiyero, of their love, and it was so amazing it took her breath away. She was relieved, she had to admit, to see that her skin was a rosy and healthy pink; and her eyes matched the sapphire blue of Fiyero's.

As for Fiyero himself, all he saw in his daughter was Elphaba. She had all the same features he loved so much, from her nose to her dark hair on top of her head. He didn't even notice the colour of her skin, but when it gradually sank in, he didn't even care.

"She's beautiful," Glinda managed to say to them through her tears and Elphaba looked up at her best friend, also with wet eyes.

"Thank you, Glinda. For everything."

Glinda shook her head silently, no thanks was needed here.

"I'll just clean her up properly and you can have her back," Haggar said to Elphaba gently, taking the baby back off her, and Glinda moved aside to help her so Fiyero and Elphaba could have a moment.

"She's perfect, Fae," Fiyero said in a choked voice. "Oz, I love you so much, my green girl."

Elphaba was actually glowing as she beamed back at him. "I love you, Yero my hero."

Haggar placed the clean and almost sleeping baby in Glinda's arms, who trembled slightly as she studied the tiny features of her goddaughter.

"Here you go, Momma," she said to Elphaba, going to give her the baby again, but Elphaba shook her head.

"No… let Fiyero hold her."

Fiyero looked panicked for a moment and Glinda giggled. "Come on, it's not that hard."

She carefully handed Fiyero his daughter, who couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"I think you might love her best, after all," Elphaba teased him gently and he grinned at her.

"No… but it's close."

"Does she have a name?" Glinda asked eagerly and Fiyero frowned.

"We hadn't really discussed it."

"Aerin," Elphaba said quietly, and they all turned to her. "Her name is Aerin."

Fiyero paused for a minute, then looked at the baby again with a soft smile. "Aerin Tiggular… it's perfect," he agreed.

Elphaba's tired yet happy gaze drifted to Glinda. "Aerin Galinda Tiggular… the 'Ga' is silent, right?" she said with a smile and Glinda was reduced to tears all over again.

Eventually, Haggar insisted they let Elphaba sleep, but Fiyero kept hold of Aerin as they moved to the living room, where Haggar took her leave to spread the news and give them some privacy.

It was evident that Fiyero was utterly besotted with his daughter, he didn't stop watching her sleep the whole time Glinda made them some tea.

"She is perfect," she said with a smile and Fiyero beamed.

"Did you see Elphaba's face? When she held her?"

Glinda nodded. "Yes, she completely fell in love with her. Just like any new mother is supposed to do."

"I've never seen her look like that before," Fiyero said happily, and Glinda laughed.

"Well then you're not paying attention. I see that look on her face every time she looks at you."

Fiyero's face was soft as he handed the baby to her. "Here, hold your goddaughter for a minute- I'm going to go check on Elphaba."

Glinda gently rocked Aerin as Fiyero left the room, marvelling again at how tiny and perfect she was.

"We're going to keep you safe, Aerin," she murmured to the sleeping baby. "I promise… you and your Momma deserve that."

"I wish you could come back with me."

Elphaba tore her gaze from Aerin to meet Glinda's saddened gaze. Aerin was seven weeks old, and Glinda only had another week in Aleppo before she returned to Oz. Fiyero was at work, and Glinda and Elphaba were laying outside in the sunshine, just basking in the presence of Aerin. The little girl was absolutely adored by everyone, and Glinda was so reluctant to leave.

"Glinda, you promised you wouldn't try and clear my name," Elphaba said quietly.

"I know," Glinda sighed. "But that was when I thought you were dead! Before Aerin… if I could clear your name, you and Fiyero could come back to Oz!"

"And how would you do that?" Elphaba asked reasonably. "Morrible's dead, the Wizard is gone… it would be your word against so much propaganda and prejudice. No one would believe you, and we'd just be in danger again."

"There has to be someone who would help clear your name!" Glinda cried in frustration. "Maybe Boq…"

Elphaba laughed. "Boq? Who I turned into a tin man with no heart?"

"That was Nessa's fault!"

"He didn't think of it like that," Elphaba recalled sadly.

"I still don't understand how he could think that," Glinda said angrily. "I mean, he _knew_ you at Shiz!"

Elphaba shrugged carelessly. "It was a long time ago… and we both know people can change. He didn't know me well enough to not believe what Morrible and the Wizard were telling the public. Not like you and Fiyero."

Aerin cooed at them, at though sensing her mother's sadness, and the sound made Elphaba smile at her daughter.

"It's like she's trying to make you feel better," Glinda laughed.

"Glinda, she's seven weeks old. She can't register emotions yet," Elphaba rolled her eyes.

Glinda smirked. "Not the way Fiyero tells it. He's already convinced she's a genius."

"Fiyero is an idiot," Elphaba retorted, but her tone was soft and loving. "Isn't he, Aerin? Daddy's completely brainless sometimes."

"Only when it comes to your mother," Glinda added and Elphaba couldn't argue with that.

How many times had Fiyero done something since she'd first met him that had made her want to hit him and knock some sense into him? First abandoning Glinda and his freedom to be with her, then surrendering himself to ensure her escape… even that day with the Lion Cub, to a lesser extent.

"Hopefully, you'll inherit my common sense, pretty girl," she said to Aerin who gurgled at her happily.

Glinda watched with a smile as Elphaba gently stroked Aerin's soft skin, a gentle smile on her face.

"And you were worried about being a mother," she shook her head in wonder and Elphaba blushed slightly.

"It's crazy… I look at her, and I don't see how anyone could _not _love their children unconditionally…"

"Regardless of skin colour?" Glinda finished knowingly and Elphaba smiled sadly.

"Regardless of skin colour," she agreed.

Glinda touched Elphaba's shoulder comfortingly. "Elphie…"

"It's okay, I'm more than used to it," she assured her.

Glinda felt a squirm of guilt, knowing how Elphaba's relationship with Frex had affected her… and knowing Frex wasn't her father.

"Elphaba… I need to tell you something."

Elphaba frowned, knowing it must be serious if Glinda had called her "Elphaba".

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

Glinda took a deep breath. Not only was she unsure how Elphaba would take the news, but she knew if she got upset, Fiyero would be furious.

"After you… died, I guess for lack of a better word, I found out something. And then when I found out you were alive, I didn't think I should tell you while you were pregnant."

Elphaba frowned. "Did Fiyero tell you not to tell me while I was pregnant?"

Glinda couldn't hide her shock. "How did you know?"

"Because I know Fiyero," she replied dryly. "So what is it, Glinda?"

Glinda hesitantly told her about the Wizard and the green bottle she had seen him with, and what Madame Morrible had deduced about her powers. When she had finished, Elphaba sat there silently not saying anything.

As if to break the silence, Aerin began to fuss and Elphaba instinctively picked her daughter up against her shoulder to calm her down.

"I wasn't sure if I should tell you," Glinda said uncertainly. "I mean… the Wizard is gone, and your father is dead…"

"But he's not my father," Elphaba interrupted with a strange smile.

Elphaba was preoccupied all afternoon. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to react to this news. The _Wizard, _the person she had once believed in above anyone else, and whom she had fought against for so long, was her _father. _And Frex, who had always preferred Nessa over her, and treated her with indifference because of her abnormal skin colour… she had no claim to him at all. And Nessa… she had always wondered how they could be so different, but assumed it had something to do with their very different upbringings; but could it really be because they were only half-sisters, because of who their fathers were?

When Fiyero came home that night, Glinda admitted what she had done, but to her surprise he wasn't mad, just worried about Elphaba's reaction.

"Fae, talk to me," he begged that night as they lay in bed.

Elphaba sighed and turned to face him. "I'm not sure what to do with this… it doesn't change anything much… except I have no idea who I am now. I don't know if I'm anything like… _him."_

"I know who you are," Fiyero told her softly. "You're Elphaba. You're my wife, and Aerin's mother. That's who you are, no matter who your father is."

His wife was silent for a minute. "Do you think he knew? Frex. Do you think he knew he wasn't my real father?"

"I don't think so," Fiyero answered honestly. "I mean, I can't answer really, because I never met him. But I don't think he knew… I know that it would be easier for you to believe that he did, or that he even suspected; because then it would excuse the way he treated you. But he did raise you, Fae. So, in some respect, he _was _your father."

He was right, Elphaba would have preferred to believe Frex had even suspected she wasn't his daughter, to justify her childhood and her relationship with him beyond the colour of her skin. But she also believed he was right that Frex had died thinking Elphaba was his daughter, and had caused him so much shame through her actions against the Wizard.

"It's just strange… the whole time I met the Wizard, and he's telling me how he always wanted a family… and his daughter was in the room the whole time. And then he spent so much time convincing Oz I was wicked."

"Glinda says he was pretty upset when he realised who you were. She thinks he really did love your mother."

Her mother… Elphaba hadn't even thought about Melena's part in this. "Do you think _she _knew?"

"I don't know, love," Fiyero answered again.

Elphaba finally shook her head, and curled up against him to go to sleep.

"I'll have to reassure Glinda I'm okay in the morning," she said sleepily. "I think I worried her."

"She didn't want to upset you," Fiyero replied.

"I know… goodnight, Yero. I love you."

He smiled in the darkness. "I love you too, Fae."


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Trust me, if I owned WICKED we wouldn't be waiting around for a movie- there would **_**be **_**a movie.**

Chapter 5

Peace continued to reign throughout Oz over the next five years. Although that wasn't to suggest that things didn't change. The citizens of Oz, particularly those who lived in the Emerald City, noticed the biggest changes in Glinda the Good.

Although she remained fully committed to the running and prosperity of Oz, after the first two years of her reign, she began to take regular vacations out of Oz, usually a month or two during the summer, and a few weekend trips scattered throughout the year.

The rumours said that Glinda had a lover with whom she would meet with, most likely from Quox; but these were dispelled two years later when Glinda the Good married a young man from her native Gilikin forest, named Lysander. He proved to be a valuable help for Glinda in the running of Oz, and it was clear he made Her Goodness very happy.

A year after they married, twins were born- a boy and a girl, who were named Jeremiah Leonardo and Idina Elphaba. For some Ozians, the name 'Elphaba' sounded vaguely familiar, but Glinda refused to comment on her children's names. The twins were three years old now, and adored by all of Oz. Both twins had their mother's blonde curls and their father's green eyes; as well as their mother's love for people.

It was summer now, and Glinda was preparing to leave Oz in the capable and trusted hands of her advisors as she and her family went on vacation. Lysander drove the carriage, whilst Glinda kept the twins amused throughout the journey.

"Do you think Sera will like her present, Momma?" Idina asked as they reached the borders of the Gilikin forest and Glinda smiled at her daughter.

"I'm sure she will, sweetheart. Goodness, I can believe she's one already," she sighed.

"Time flies," Lysander agreed from the front of the carriage and Glinda silently agreed.

When she had first met Lysander, she had known the real test of their relationship was with Elphaba. She couldn't be sure if he believed the stories about her, or if eventually revealing their existence to him would be dangerous. So, after six months of courting, Glinda had carefully told him the real story of Elphaba, and Fiyero- purposely leaving out the fact they were alive.

_That _fact had been told a few months after, as Glinda prepared to travel to Aleppo for Aerin's first birthday. Lysander had been shocked, and more than a little hesitant about meeting the former 'Wicked Witch of the West', but he quickly saw that Glinda's stories about her friend had been the truth, and Elphaba was no more wicked than he was.

Elphaba had been quick to assess him, and eventually gave Glinda her seal of approval, which meant more to Glinda than she realised. Glinda had been pregnant with the twins at the same time Elphaba was expecting her and Fiyero's second child, and Liir Dillamond Tiggular had been born two months after Idina and Jeremiah, or Jem as he was called most often.

Dillamond, of course, was after Dr Dillamond, and Liir was after Fiyero's father, the grandfather their children could never meet. Elphaba had been happy with her two children, but Fiyero was insistent, and only a year ago, they had welcomed Seraphina Fae Tiggular into the world, or "Sera" as she was nicknamed by her father. The 'Fae' had been Glinda's idea, and Elphaba had been unable to change Fiyero's mind about the idea.

Also in the past five years, the cottage that Elphaba and Fiyero called home had been extended to the point where, as Elphaba pointed out, it could hardly be called a 'cottage' anymore. Nevertheless, the 'cottage' it remained, and it was a loving home where Glinda and Lysander were always welcome.

They were travelling to Aleppo now for their annual summer stay, which meant they were there to celebrate Seraphina's first birthday. They all cherished these visits, and they had become the family Elphaba had always wished for.

"Aunty Lin's here!" they heard Liir cry out as the carriage approached the cottage, and Glinda laughed at the little boy's excitement.

When learning to talk, Aerin had been unable to pronounce 'Glinda', so instead begun calling her 'Lin'. The name stuck, encouraged by Fiyero, and now Glinda was "Aunty Lin". Her own children called Elphaba and Fiyero "Aunty Fae" and "Uncle Yero".

As soon as Glinda stepped out of the carriage, Liir threw himself on her in a huge hug, which Glinda tightly returned. Liir was the image of Fiyero, as much as Aerin was of Elphaba. Seraphina, as little as Glinda had seen of her, seemed to be a perfect blend of both her parents, and to Elphaba's relief, all three of her children were a normal colour.

Aerin came dancing out of the house to greet her godparents and the twins, and when Glinda looked up from her goddaughter's beaming face, she saw Elphaba in the doorway, Seraphina on her hip. Beaming, she left Lysander to take care of the twins and the luggage, coming forward to embrace her best friend.

"Elphie, I've missed you so much! Oh, sweet Oz I can't believe how big Seraphina is!"

Elphaba smiled amusedly, Glinda always started each of her visits with a big speech that hardly left room for breath between sentences and were over-filled with exclamation marks.

"Hi, Glinda. How was the journey?" she asked, handing over her youngest daughter without being asked.

"Oh, it was fine. Elphie… she's so beautiful. I still can't decide who she looks more like, you or Fiyero."

Elphaba smiled at Seraphina sadly. "Actually, I think she looks a little like Nessa."

Glinda returned the smile, but the moment was broken as the twins hurled themselves at Elphaba at once.

"Hello, little ones," she laughed, squatting down to their level. "How are you?"

"Aunty Fae! We're not little anymore!" Jem protested and Elphaba reflected that he was right.

"No, you're not little… you're both all grown up," she agreed. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yes please," Idina said politely, and Elphaba ushered them inside, calling Aerin and Liir in behind them.

"Hi, Elphaba," Lysander greeted her, kissing her cheek as he entered with the first of the luggage.

"Hi, Lysander," she smiled warmly.

"Where's Fiyero?"

"He's gone into town to escort Haggar back for dinner tonight," she explained. "She can't really make it on her own now, she's too frail."

Haggar was older than ever, and starting to show it, but she was a big role in each of Fiyero and Elphaba's children's lives, the closest they had to a grandmother.

Elphaba left Lysander to bring in the luggage, whilst she went to the kitchen to get the drinks.

"Is punch ok, kids?" she asked.

"What's in it?" Idina asked.

"Lemons and melons and pears," Aerin answered for her. "I helped Momma make it."

"You did?" Glinda asked her. "What a big girl you're getting to be, Aerin Tiggular. Almost a little lady."

"I'm not a lady, I'm a princess. Daddy says so," she replied and Glinda laughed.

"Well, he's right. Begging your pardon, your Highness."

Glinda saw Elphaba roll her eyes in her peripheral vision and giggled.

"Well she _is _a princess technically," she argued quietly when the kids were out of earshot.

Elphaba rolled her eyes again. "No, she's not. Not unless Fiyero claims _his _title as a prince, which he can't do- because he's supposed to be dead, remember?" she hissed.

"How could I forget?" Glinda sighed.

The most uncomfortable meeting of her whole reign over Oz had taken place just over a year ago, when the Vinkus King and Queen- Fiyero's parents, had come to the Emerald City to meet with Glinda and discuss relations between the Vinkus and the rest of Oz. Glinda had been glad to meet Fiyero's parents so she was able to tell him how they were, but it was clear they were still grieving their only son; and Glinda found it unbearable not to mention that their son was alive, not to mention married with two children and another about to born quite soon.

To celebrate Seraphina's birthday, they were having a dinner with only their two families and Haggar in attendance. As Elphaba had reasoned, Seraphina had no idea what a birthday was, and it was much better with only close family in attendance.

"Uncle Yero!" they heard Jem and Idina yell excitedly a few moments later; mixed in with Liir and Aerin's cries of "Daddy!"

"I think Fiyero's home," Lysander said dryly as he entered the kitchen after putting the carriage away.

It was a few moments before Fiyero could get away from the children and made his way into the kitchen.

"Hello, all," he greeted Lysander and Glinda, kissing her cheek and shaking Lysander's hand.

"Hi, Fiyero," Glinda smiled in return.

Fiyero sidled up next to Elphaba, who was pouring him a glass of punch, and planted a series of quick, soft kisses on the top of her head and down to her cheek.

"Hi, beautiful."

Elphaba rolled her eyes as she handed him the glass. "Hmmm. Where's Haggar?"

"With the kids," he replied, smiling at her never ending doubts of her beauty.

Seraphina, sitting on Glinda's lap, beamed at the sight of her father, and stretched out her arms to him. Fiyero obediently scooped her into his arms, blowing raspberries onto her stomach and making her giggle.

"Do you need some help with dinner, Elphie?" offered Glinda and Elphaba smirked.

"From you?"

Glinda scowled at her. "You know I'm a much better cook now than I used to be!"

"Well, you're no worse than Fiyero," she laughed and Fiyero turned to his wife, pretending to be offended.

"Excuse me! I'll have you know, Mrs Tiggular, that our children happen to adore my culinary masterpieces!"

"Oh, your masterpieces of banana on toast?" Elphaba asked innocently and her husband grinned.

"Yes, exactly."

"Was there a yes or no in there to answer your question?" Lysander asked Glinda and they all laughed.

Elphaba accepted Glinda's offer of help, and they sent Fiyero and Lysander to entertain the children and Haggar.

"Has there been any more news from the Vinkus?" Elphaba asked Glinda when they were alone.

The news that Glinda had met with Fiyero's parents had hit Elphaba even harder than Fiyero, as she had become overwhelmed with fresh guilt that Fiyero's parents were still grieving for the son they believed to be dead.

Glinda squeezed Elphaba's arm comfortingly. "Elphie, you know Fiyero made his own choice. And he would never have been this happy without you or your children."

"You don't know that!" Elphaba protested. "He would have had you. He… he did love you."

"I know. But he is and has always been _in _love with you," Glinda replied simply. "And I wouldn't give up Lysander and the twins for anything."

Elphaba agreed, despite her guilt and regrets, she wouldn't give up her life with Fiyero and their children for the world.

Dinner was a lively affair, full of laughter and conversation as they all ate the delicious meal Elphaba and Glinda had prepared. And then they brought out the cake they had prepared, lit with a single candle, and they all sang "Happy Birthday" to Seraphina, who began to whimper at the applause that followed.

"Oh, sweetheart," Elphaba comforted her, bouncing her against her hip and Seraphina quietened, one hand tangled in her mother's dark hair.

"Who wants cake?" announced Fiyero and began to serve giant pieces of chocolate cake out to the children.

"Oh, brilliant- massive loads of sugar before bed," Glinda sighed as the twins began to devour their slices and Fiyero grinned at her sheepishly.

Haggar took her leave shortly after dinner, but not before presenting Seraphina with her present, a hand-stitched teddy bear- the same gift she had given both Aerin and Liir on their first birthdays. Aerin's had been green, Liir's blue, and Seraphina's was pink.

"Thank goodness _one _of your daughter's likes pink," Glinda exclaimed in relief, making Elphaba laugh.

Aerin showed as much disdain for pink as her mother before her, much to her godmother's disbelief.

Once Haggar had left, and Fiyero and Lysander had cleaned the kitchen, they settled into their nightly routine. Seraphina, Liir and the twins were put to bed early; but Aerin was allowed to stay up for another half an hour, spending time with her parents and godparents.

"Will you tell me a story, Daddy?" she begged of Fiyero as he tucked her in, and he smiled.

"Sure, princess. What story would you like to hear?"

Aerin shook her head. "You pick, Daddy."

Fiyero grinned. "Ok. Well… Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Shiz, there was a prince. And one day, he woke up from sleeping to find himself in front of a beautiful magical princess…"

Editing some aspects slightly, he told her the story of their days at Shiz, and Aerin was enthralled. They were both so into the story, neither noticed Elphaba quietly appearing in the doorway, who was watching them with a small smile.

Whatever doubts or insecurities she felt about her parenting skills always disappeared as she watched Fiyero with their children. It was the most beautiful sight Elphaba had ever seen, and it was these moments she cherished above all else.

"And then, one day, a few years later, after so many years of searching, the Prince found his Princess again… and she was even more beautiful than he remembered," Elphaba heard Fiyero tell Aerin sincerely and she couldn't help but laugh, making both father and daughter turn to her.

"Momma! Daddy's telling me a story," Aerin cried and Elphaba entered the room.

"So I heard. So, Daddy- what happens next?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow, and Fiyero looked at her sheepishly.

"Yeah, what happens next, Daddy?" Aerin asked eagerly.

Fiyero cleared his throat. "Well, the Prince found his Princess and vowed they would never be separated again. So they moved to a new land, where all their dreams came true."

Aerin was wide-eyed. "Did they live happily ever after, Daddy?"

Fiyero paused and met Elphaba's gaze with a grin, both remembering Elphaba's long ago protests to his proposal.

"I don't know, Aerin. What do you think, Momma?"

Elphaba laughed softly, her gaze not leaving Fiyero's. "You know, pretty girl- I think they did," she answered Aerin's question.

Aerin was satisfied with that, and snuggled down under her blankets, her eyes already drifting closed.

"I thought green people didn't get 'happily ever afters'?" Fiyero teased her quietly as they left the room.

Elphaba smiled and kissed him lovingly. "Well, you proved me wrong."

"That's a first," he laughed. "I love you, Fae."

"I love you, Yero my hero," she replied.

And they all did indeed, live happily ever after.


End file.
